Box covering method and product



Jan. 2, 1934. R NEELY 1,942,362

BOX COVERING METHOD AND PRODUCT Filed March 11, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 2, 1934. F. R. NEELY 1,942,362

BOX COVERIfiG- METHOD AND PRODUCT Filed March 11, 1932 2 Sheds-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 2, 1934 BATES 130K COVERING METHQ!) AND PRODUCT Application March 11, 1932. Serial No. 598,129

15 Claims.

My invention relates to a method for wrapping boxes, particularly boxes having drop lid ends, as cigar boxes and the like, and to boxes produced by my method.

A purpose of my invention is to provide a method of wrapping that will avoid need for varying the form of wrap to accommodate boxes of variant depth and, to lesser extent, to accommodate boxes of variant length and width.

A further purpose is to avoid need for registering free edges of the side and end flaps of a wrap blank with the corners between the drop lid ends and the top surfaces of the long sides of a box to be covered by the blank.

A further purpose is to slit a wrap at the inner drop lid corners during the wrapping process, thereby avoiding need for slitting preparatory to wrapping and avoiding the previous difliculty' in properly registering slits for boxes of variant depths.

A further purpose is to overlap the turn-in portions of the end flaps of a wrap upon the long sides of the box and tocover the overlaps with the turn-ins of the side flaps.

A further purpose is to turn in and turn down the end flaps of a wrap preparatory to turning in and turning down the side flaps, thereby se curing easily an appearance of finish at the drop lid ends without need for close registry between the box and wrap.

Further purposes will appear in the specification and in the claims.

My invention includes both the methods used and the product produced.

Describing in illustration and not in limitation and referring to the drawings:-

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a convenient form of glued wrap, a box being shown in dotand-dash lines registered on the Wrap, preparatory to sweeping up the side and end flaps of the wrap.

Figure 1a is a reduced scale view corresponding generally to Figure 1 but showing a wrap of the prior art.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of structure shown in Figure 1, including the box in registry upon the glued wrap.

Figures 3 to 10 inclusive are fragmentary perspective views of various stages in wrapping the 50 box.

Figure 3 illustrates an early step of my method in which the long sides of the wrap have been turned up.

Figure 4 corresponds to Figure 3 except that 5, the operation has progressed by vertically slitting the long sides above the drop lid ends in the plane of the inside surfaces of the ends.

Figure 5 shows the next stage in which the'i corner flap has been completed and the turn-in" over the drop lid ends of the long sides has also been effected. j

Figure 5a is a fragmentary perspective view of a part seen in Figure 5. V

Figure 6 shows the next stage in which the ends, have been turned upon the corner flaps. H Figure 6a is a fragmentary perspective View of a part seen in Figure 6. U I Figure 7 corresponds to Figure 6 and illustrates the next stage, that in which the end flaps have been turned in over the box ends. In Figure 8 the turned-in end flap has been turned down to t the corner of the long sides at the drop lid end.

In Figure 9 the portion of the turned-down end flap has been slit inwardly from the corner of the long side at the drop lid end and turned down upon the end surface. I

Figure 10 shows the long sidelflaps as having been turned in and then turned down. My method of wrapping is believedto have its widest application with automatic wrapping machines but is nevertheless adapted to be used. in hand wrapping a box and I have therefore elected to illustrate the method as it may be carried out by hand, with the knowledge that ma-' chine operation may be used.

In the prior art it has been usual to employ a wrap of the form shown in Figure 1a. While this form is satisfactory in many cases, it is disadvantageous in that it requires fairly close registry between the interior corners 20 and 21, respectively, of the end and long side flaps of the wrap, and the inside corners 22 formed by "the top surfaces of the long sides and the drop lid ends of the box. In view of the variant depth dimensions of dif ferent commercial boxes, this registration is'not easy to obtain and, moreover, requires a great many dies for cutting the different blanks to proper sizes. My invention preferably modifies the wrap of the prior art by omitting the corner recesses 20 and 21, eliminates the need for any close registry in accommodating the wrap to different boxes of variant depth, and yet secures an excellent. ap-. pearance or a finish at the drop lid ends. The early part of my wrapping cycle may be in according with that described in U. S. Patent No. 1,733,229 to Kleinsmith et al., entitled Box wrapping machine.

In accord with this patent, the glued wrap 23 is applied to the bottom of a box 24, the box with the wrap glued to the bottom being suitably placed upon any holder, such as the lower form of a wrapping machine. The long side flaps 25 are turned up upon the long sides of the box, as by moving the form and wrap downwardly first against an upwardly presented felt covered block and then, with the block downwardly between long side brushes and long side rolls of the machine, sweeping up the long side flaps, front and back, to the position shown in Figure 3.

After the long side turn up has been completed (Figure 3), the long side flaps are slitted at 26 upwardly from the drop lid corners, as indicated in Figure 4. When accomplished on the wrapping machine, the box comes to rest by the coming to rest of the holding forms, inside and below the box, preparatory to slitting at 26. The lateral. end of the long side turn up is then folded over the end of the box to form the corner at 27. The turn-in at 28' over the drop lid ends is then placed, the stage of wrapping being now as shown in Figure 5. See also the partially completed turn ting the turned up long flaps above the long sides at the ends thereof along the line 26, Figure 3, and otl'iermechanism simultaneously pressing each long side wrap against the end' faces of the drop lid ends, turning in the flaps at 28 over the tops of the drop lid ends and corner lapping at 27, all as described in the'above mentioned patent, the only difference being that the vertical slit along the line 26 is normally longer in my present method than that described; in the patent.

l to the position shown in Figures 6 and 6a;

The end flaps 29 are now turned up, optionally by the holding forms moving downwardly between end brushes and' end rolls to' sweep-up the endflaps as described in the patent referred to.

To the stage illustrated in Figure 5, the wrap ping may optionally follow that of the cited patent, the only difference being the'lo-nger vert'i'c'al' slitting at 26 incident to' the blank of the present invention having full corners at 30 and 31', Figure 1, instead of the recessed corners at 20' and 21, Figure in.

From this point onward my method of wrapping differs from that described inthepatent. In the patent the turn-in members move in simultaneously, turning the long side flaps and the end flaps over the tops of the sides and endsrespec tively' of the box.

- In the present method, the end flaps 29- are turned up against the drop lid ends of the box The projecting portions 32 or" the end flaps 29 which extend upwardly beyond the drop lid ends in the position of Figures 6 and 6d lie against the projecting portions'33 of the corner laps 27' which extend upwardlybeyond the drop lid ends in the position of Figures 5, 6 and 6a.

The projecting portions 32 of the drop lid end flaps 29 and the projecting portions 33 of the corner laps 27 are next bent down together over the drop lid ends 34. In Figure 7 I show the projecting portions 32 and 3 3 bent down against the top of one of the drop lid ends 34.

The extensions of the portions 32 and 33'beyond the inside edges 35 of the tops of the drop-lid ends are turned downwardly as shown in Figure 8, firmly pressing the downwardly turned flaps into the corners 36 above the long sides at the drop lid ends of the box, permitting portions 37 of the end flaps to overlap some little distance along the top edges or" the long sides.

While strongly pressing the turn-down flaps into the drop lid end corners 36, I either cut or tear the paper of the flaps at 38 from the ends of the flaps toward the drop lid ends as shown in Figure 8. I refer to this as slitting, and intend to include either cutting or tearing. The turn down of the end flap portion 32 is now completed and the turn-down portion of the end flap is pressed firmly to place against the inside surface of the box end. The end flap now assumes the position of Figure 9.

After moving out of the way any mechanism used in effecting the end turn-in and end turndown operations just described, I next turn in and turn down the long side flaps 25, optionally in any suitable way. The completed corner is shown in Figure 10'.

It will be evident that the projecting portions 33 of the corner lapsa're completely covered by the downwardly folded portions 32 of the drop lid end flaps, and that, by reason of the diagonal folding of the tops of the corner laps; the projecting portions 330:" the corner laps do not enter the drop lid end corners 36, where they might produce an irregular'fold, and prevent even seating of the lid.

The small portion 37 of the drop lid end flap 29 resting on the top of the long side of the box is covered completely by the downward folding of the side flap 25.

A very great advantage of this method of'wrapping lies in the fact that the same wrap blanks are applicable to use on boxes of different depth, and this without. being at the expense of an: apparently poorer finish. There area greatmany different depths of commercial boxes.

The knives used at presentto cut the wraps are adjustable for variations in the longitudinal and lateral dimensions of the boxes, but are not adjustable for variations in the depths of the boxes.

My present invention cares for'this deficiency,

While the printing upon the wrap for boxes of the same longitudinal and lateral dimensions but of considerably variant depth dimensions should usually be varied to suit the depth of' the box,-

by such variation in depth and the overlapping of the turned-in long sides upon the end'portionsof the drop lid end flaps presents an even better appearance than is usually the case with the method of the prior art unless particular care has been taken to secure exact registry between the interior corners 20 and 21, Figure Ia, with the corner points 22 upon the box interiors.

In View of my invention an'd disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to" obtain all" or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim all such in so far as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new a'nddesire to secure by LettersPatent is: v

1. The steps in the method of wrapping a box having lateral walls of unequal height, which consists in'applying a covering to the outer'face v the tops of and a portion of the inner face of a higher lateral wall and in extending a portion of the lateral wall covering along the top of a lower lateral wa 2. The step in the method or wrapping a box having drop lid ends, using a Wrap having a body, side flaps and end flaps, which consists in over lapping the turn-in portions of the end flaps upon the sides of the box and in covering the overlaps with the turn-in portions of theside flaps.

3. The method of allowing for variation in height in wrapping a box having sides nd drop lid ends, using a wrap having side flaps and drop lid end flaps, which consists in extending the excess of material of the drop lid end flaps, in line with the sides at the drop lid end corners, along the top surfaces of the sides.

4. The method of allowing for variation in height in wrapping a box having sides and drop lid ends, using a wrap having side laps and drop lid endflaps, which consists in extending the excess of material ofthe drop lid end flaps, in line with the sides at the drop lid end corners, along the top surfaces of the sides and in covering the excess material by the side flaps.

5. In wrapping a box having drop lid ends, using a wrap having a body, side flaps and end flaps, the method which consists in overlapping the turn-in portions of the end flaps upon the sides of the box, in slitting the said turn-in portions from the inner drop lid end corner, in completing the turn-in of the end flaps upon the ends and in covering the overlaps and the tops of the sides with the turn-ins of the side flaps.

6. The method of applying a wrap having a body, side flaps and end flaps to a box having drop lid ends, which consists in applying the body of the wrap to the bottom of the box, in turning up the side flaps upon the sides of the box, in upwardly slitting the turned-up flaps from the drop lid corners, in corner lapping the ends of the side flaps over the ends of the box and turning in the portions of the side adjacent the slits upon the ends of the box, in turning up the end flaps upon the ends of the box and upon the applied corner laps of the side flaps, in turning in the upper portions of the end flaps upon the ends of the box, in turning down the extended portions of these end flaps into the interior or" the box upon the inside or" the ends and overlapping the tops of the sides, in slitting the portions of the turned-down end flaps that overlap the sides from the portions to be turned down upon the interiors of the ends, in completing the turn down of the end flaps and in turning in and turning down the upper portions of the side flaps, covering the overlapping portions of the end flaps upon the sides.

'7. The method of wrapping drop lid end boxes of varying heights having sides and drop lid ends, using a wrap having side and drop lid end flaps, which consists in extending the drop lid end flaps up to the tops of the drop lid ends, over the drop lid ends and down the insides of the drop lid ends along the full width of the drop lid ends, in extening the portions of the .rcp lid end flaps in line with the sides along the tops of the sides, in extending the portions of the drop lid end flaps between the sides down along the insides of the drop lid ends and in covering the portion of the drop lid end flaps extending along the tops of the sides by the side flaps turned in over the tops of the sides.

8. The method of wrapping drop lid end boxes of varying heights having sides and drop lid ends, using a wrap having side and drop lid end flaps, which consists in extending the drop lid end flaps up to the tops of the drop lid ends, over the tops of the drop lid ends and down the insides of the drop lid ends along the full width of the drop lid ends, in extending the portions of the drop lid end flaps in line with the sides along the tops of the sides, in slitting the drop lid end flaps in line with the inside edges of the sides, in extending the portions of the drop lid end flaps between the sides down along the insides of the drop lid ends and in covering the portions or the drop lid end flaps extending along the tops of the sides by the side flaps turned in over the tops of the sides.

9. The method of wrapping a box having sides and drop lid ends, using a wrap having side flaps and drop lid end flaps, which consists in covering the sides with the side flaps, in folding the side flaps around the corners of the box against the drop lid ends and down upon the tops of the drop lid ends, in covering the endsof the box and the folded portions of the side flaps with the drop lid end flaps, in turning in the drop lid end flaps over the tops of the drop lid ends, against the inside surfaces of the drop lid ends and into the drop lid end corners, in slitting the drop lid endilaps in line with the inside edges of the sides at the drop lid end corners, in folding the side flaps over the tops of the sides and over the drop lid end flaps near the drop lid-end corners and in securing them along the inner surfaces of the sides.

10. A box whose lateral walls are of unequal height in combination with a wrap therefor having one portion which is applied to the outer and inner faces of a higher lateral walland to the top of a lower lateral wall.

11. A box whose adjacent lateral walls are of unequal height combination witha wrap therefor having one flap which is applied to the outer and inner faces of a higherlateral wall and to the tops of two lower lateral walls.

12. A box having drop lid ends and a wrap applied thereto having a bottom portion, side flaps and end flaps, the side flaps being turned up and corner lapped upon the ends, slitted upwardly from the drop lid corners and, outwardly of the slits, turning in upon the tops of the ends, and the end flaps being turned up, turned in and turned down to over ap the sides, slitted from the inner drop lid corners to permit complete turn down of the portions of the end flaps between the sides, and the turned-in portions of the side flaps being turned over the portions of the end flaps which overlap the sides and turned down upon the interior of the sides.

15. A; box having drop lid ends, in combination with a wrap having a body registering with the bottom of the box, long side turned up against the outsides or the long sides, corner laps therefrom folded upon the ends of the box, turnin portions upon the ends inwardly adjacent the corner laps, end flaps approximately registering with the width or" the box, turned up upon the ends of the box, turned in with the upper portions of the corner laps over the tops of the ends and turned down upon the interior of the box ends and into the drop lid corners, overlapping the long sides of the box, and the long side flaps having turn-in portions over the turn-in portions of the end flaps that overlapthe long sides and having a slit registering with the interior of the ends and extending to the outer edges of the turn-in portions.

ice

14. A box having sides and drop lid ends extending above the sides, in combination with a Wrap secured to the be having side flaps and drop lid end fi'eps, the side flaps covering the outside, the top arid a portion of the inside surfaces of the sides, as well as portions of the outside,- the top and the inside surfaces of the drop lid ends near the carriers, the drop lid end flaps covering the outside, the top end a. poition of the inside surtaoes of the drop lid ends, and of the side flaps there located, as well as portions of the'tops of the sides near the corners and the side flaps covering the portions of the drop lid end flaps on the tops of the sides near the corners;

15. A box having sides and drop lid ends extending above the sides, in o'mbin'ation' with a; wrap secured to the boxhav'ing side flaps aiid drop lid end flaps, the side flaps covering the entire outsides of the sides of the box, the tops of the sides and the upper portions of the insides of the sides,- and being overlappedoh the drop lid ehd flaps upon the tops of the sides near the corners and the drop lid ehd flaps covering the entire outsides of the drop lid ends of the box, the tops of the drop lid ends and the upper portions of the insides of the drop lid ends and being overlapped upon the side flaps upon the outsides, tops and insides of the drop lid ends near the carriers.

F; RODGERS NEELY.- 

